The One That Got Away
by shoefiend
Summary: Carrie's quest for a designer dress hits a snag. Samantha gets an unexpected call from Smith.


Carrie Bradshaw could sense great excitement from the moment she entered the offices of Vogue magazine. Enid Frick, her friend and editor, was only too happy to fill her in. Finn Carter was designing women's wear again! And no one was more excited than Enid herself. Enid, after seeing "Finny's" graduation show at F.I.T., had declared him "the future of American fashion" and put a dress he designed on the cover of the September issue that year.

For five years, every movie star had to wear Carter Finn on the red carpet. Anything with his name on the label flew off the racks of department stores across the country. Otherwise hard to impress women would wait outside Saks or Barneys for hours each season when his new line was scheduled to hit store racks.

Sadly, after all his unprecedented success Mr. Carter had abruptly withdrawn from designing woman's wear. He had designed not a single woman's garment for three years. Instead, he spent a year in Europe and even made a short-form film about his travels.

When he returned to New York, he had opened up a small, showroom with an unlisted address where he had sold menswear to a very exclusive clientele for the past couple of years. To this day, any dress he had ever designed was pure gold on E-bay or at a consignment shop.

Vogue was being exclusive access to these new garments because of the magazine's long-time support of Mr. Finn's career. Enid herself admitted that she didn't know why "Finny" was choosing this moment to begin designing women's wear. "He said something about finding his muse, a new employee, I think." As she opened the door to the room where the garments hung on mannequins, she added, "These have to be returned in a couple of hours."

Carrie was gob smacked by what she saw. Each garment was a masterwork of the couturier's art. One cocktail dress in particular caught her attention. The cut was flattery itself. Every detail of this dress was ingenious – and, Carrie felt, a tribute to the wit and good taste of any woman who wore it.

Carrie reached out and touched garment. "That's not just a dress, it's an Audrey Hepburn moment," Carrie gasped to Enid or anyone else who might be listening

At that moment Carrie made up her mind that this dress would be hers. She would finagle an invitation to the Finn Carter show at Fashion Week and put in her order.

On Saturday afternoon, Carrie and her friends Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte met at their favorite café as they did every couple of weeks. It was an opportunity to take time away from their other obligations and just relax and enjoy one another's company. As she sometimes did, Miranda arrived carrying a celebrity gossip magazine that she had just picked out of the mailbox before heading off to Manhattan for their meeting.

This week there was a familiar face on the cover of the magazine – Smith! Smith Jarrod was the man who Samantha Jones had loved and whose career she had managed for five years. Both their romance and their professional association had ended over a year earlier and Samantha and Smith had had only occasional sporadic contact with one another.

In recent months, Smith had become a favorite target for the tabloids. While waiting for filming to begin on his latest movie, Smith's love life had become quite active.

"So who is Smith ****ing this week?" Samantha asked.

Miranda flipped through the magazine until she found the article on Smith and began to read.

Smith Jarrod has recently been spotted leaving the Malibu home actress of Jennifer Bay during the early morning hours. The "Real Sorority Girls" star, 23, and the movie hunk, 35, met on the set of his latest film, in which she had a small part.

"I still don't understand why you broke up with Smith," Charlotte said. "It was just coo-coo. You were just meant for one another. Don't you see it? The two of you have had your time apart. Now it's time for you to come back together again. Some couples have their time apart, even Harry and I before we were married. Carrie and Big broke up..."

Carrie could see Charlotte mentally calculating the ups and downs of long saga of Carrie's relationship with Big. "Let's not go there, Ms Math."

"The time apart can show you what you really mean to one another."

"Honey, when I'm through with them, I'm through with them," Samantha drawled.

"You should give him a call," Charlotte insisted.

When Carrie arrived home that afternoon, she opened the mailbox she found her invitation to the annual cocktail party for the New York Society for Women in the Arts. A plan was hatched. She was could no longer wait until Fashion Week. She had to that dress now! She had only attended this NYSWA cocktail part once; but she was going this time, and she was going to be wearing that dress. It was all about status, and this particular dress was the ultimate status symbol. The first thing the next morning, Carrie called Enid at home for the unlisted address of Finn Carter's showroom.

Carrie walked through the door at Finn Carter's showroom and instantly recognized the youngish Wall Street hotshot standing on the platform being fitted for a jacket. She caught the attention of the employee who was shelving a small stack of fastidiously folded shirts. Would the lady like some champagne? Yes, he knew the dress to which Carrie was referring. He took the American Express Black Card from Carrie's hand and disappeared behind a curtain.

Minutes passed. Carrie tried to imagine what might be going on in the back room. Maybe Finn Carter himself would emerge from behind the curtain to personally fit the dress on her. That would be truly amazing. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the young man returned from behind the curtain. He appeared ill–at-ease.

He pressed the charge card back in Carrie's hand. "I am sorry Mrs. Preston. We're not going to be able to assist you."

"What?" Carrie was flummoxed. She attempted to put the card back into the young man's hand. "If there's any problem at all with the card, you can call my husband. He's in London on business until the end of the month, but I can give you his number."

"You don't understand ma'am. There's no problem with the card. I didn't even try to run it. I am going to have to ask you to leave now." Carrie gathered herself for a protest, but saw the young man's expression morph from one of sympathy to a plea for understanding and then harden to cool determination. "Please, Mrs. Preston, don't make me summon security."

Samantha had been in a long and tedious meeting most of the afternoon and had her cell phone turned off. As soon as she emerged a little after four o'clock, she turned on the phone she noticed several missed called from Smith and a voice mail.

"Babe, it's me. Please return my call."

Samantha was suddenly nervous. What could be so wrong that Smith was calling her with such urgency? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. And there was something in his voice. She had known him intimately for years and she couldn't miss the slight anxiety in his voice. She dialed his number.

"Smith?"

"I have been trying to call you. I have something I need to tell you before it hits the tabloids. I'm in the car on the way to the airport. I'm on the way to Vegas. Jennifer and I are going to get married."

"What?!?!"

There was silence for a moment. "I got Jennifer pregnant. We're going to get married tonight."

Suddenly, the whole world receded for Samantha except for Smith's voice on the phone. Finally she said, "Are you sure about all this?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"You don't have to marry her. Half of Hollywood are having babies without being married."

"Yeah, I know. But, for me, getting married is the right thing to do. Jen and I have been careful keeping our relationship out of the tabloids, but … I don't know, it's like she's everything I never knew I wanted in a woman." Smith spoke on, telling Samantha how his new love was easy to be with. Samantha couldn't help but remember how, that after she and Smith met, she refused to admit that they were even a relationship for weeks.

Samantha would have thought herself the very last person in the world wasting her time on regrets or pondering that nature of things; but Smith's news troubled her for several days afterwards, and for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. She had left Smith. And she had never had any plans to marry Smith. He had asked. She turned him down. Due to her age, and later chemotherapy, children had never been a possibility. Even at a time in her life when children had been a possibility, she knew absolutely that being a mother was not for her.

Suddenly she came to a realization. Smith had meant more to her than any other man ever had. And, up until now, she knew without any doubt whatsoever that he had felt the same. Even the end of their relationship had not changed that. Suddenly, she wasn't number one in his heart anymore … and wouldn't be ever again. She'd be fine, of course. She had gotten over Smith. She was having trouble with him getting over her. And, yes, the fact that he had chosen to marry a woman who, at least on the surface of things, was her polar opposite, was really tying her stomach into heavy, roiling knots. It made her question how well she had ever known Smith at all.

Over Saturday morning brunch, Carrie related her ill-fated trip to Finn Carter's showroom to her friends. "It was like a professional hit. It was a fashion hit job. I am wearing cement Manolos. And that's not all. I spoke to Enid and found out that she was invited by name to sit in the front row center at Carter Finn's show at Bryant Park, and I am NOT invited by name."

Ever a source of unconditional support, Miranda started a "who needs Carter Finn and his overpriced dress" speech and Samantha and Charlotte nodded in agreement. This time Carrie couldn't allow it. "No. This is a one-of-a-kind couture dress. No, this isn't just a dress. This is a work of art that you keep your whole life and leave to a museum in your will."

Later, when Big returned from London, Carrie began to unpack his bags. She noticed one of the shirts had a Finn Carter label. Carrie noticed subtle but unmistakable signs of wear. Carrie mentioned the shirt to Big. "Oh, that. Well, I won't be able to replace that one for a while. I bought it before the ex went to work there. The good news is that she will be getting married again soon, some blue-blood she knew from Phillips so I won't be paying alimony much longer."

Carrie went to the computer and logged onto the Internet. She went to and clicked on the link for the Best-dressed of the week. Sure enough. There was a picture of Natasha … Natasha who was seven inches taller than her, nearly ten years younger and about a hundred times more pretty; Natasha who had been married to Big; Natasha, on whom Carrie had heaped the sum total of her insecurities. And, the same woman whose marriage to Big had she, Carrie, had played a large role in ending.

There she was wearing the dress that Carrie had so coveted.

Under picture the short blurb read, "If you look up 'soignee' in the dictionary, it read See Natasha Willoughby." The brunette beauty has recently become both muse and design assistant to designer Carter Finn. While not helping with the details of Mr. Finn's soon-to-be open showroom in the Meatpacking district, Ms. Willoughby is busy planning her wedding. She and long-time friend, Alex Knightly are to be married at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the holiday season.

A wry smile formed on Carrie's lips. "Apparently, she who laughs last, dresses best."


End file.
